From what I’m reading, iOS 14 supports dictation on-device. Is this not the case for Siri? There are a couple of areas around town where my cell coverage is a little spotty (iPhone 11), and I’ll say something that at least seems ridiculously simple like “cancel navigation”, and I’ll get the…
“Just a sec.”
“I’m on it.”
“One more moment.”
type of lines, before it fails entirely.
Obviously it’s a beta, so there’s the possibility that it’s still buggy - but it doesn’t feel any different from my iOS 13 install in this regard.
That’s what has me confused…because based on what I’m seeing iOS 14 is supposed to support on-device dictation, which you would think would be much harder than getting Siri to recognize rather basic built-in commands.
Does it only support dictation on-device if you have a device with an A11 or better (due to the neural engine)? I cannot imagine that dictation on-device is any good on a device with an A10 or older.
Dictation through the Keyboard is on-device, yes. Siri still goes through servers. So, “cancel navigation,” is still not done locally even under iOS 14.
So if I’m driving and need to speak a note into my phone, I’m better off triggering a Drafts instance from my watch (and sorting it out later) than I am saying “hey Siri, ______________”?
That just seems so backward and bizarre…but if that’s the way to fly, not a huge deal.
I think that you’re right about using drafts, and I agree with your observation. In my dream wishlist 100% of Siri’s device-control functionality would be handled on device, with only commands that require interfacing with other services (e.g., web browsing, restaurant recommendations, map searches, etc.) needing any kind of online connection.
I have a problem when I leave my office building (which I haven’t done post-COVID) where I can place and receive phone calls, but I cannot use Siri to initiate them. I get the same error dialog that you started this thread with. It’s a first world problem, but it’s really annoying.
The thing that’s so annoying about this is that Siri’s failure to connect is due to your position in 3D space but the Siri responses make it seem to be about time - it will get better “in a moment.” No it won’t. It will get better when you go somewhere else.
I wish Siri would just say when there is or isn’t an internet connection.
On a related topic, phone bars don’t correlate with internet quality. If I had a choice of phone bars or internet bars I’d take the latter.
Yes. 100% this. If Siri says “just a second”, “I’m on it”, etc., I expect something to be happening.
Even if it could just do something like reply with “hey, you’re not online. Should I save this and do it when you get online?” I’d be happy.
What bothers me is that I dictated something that needed to be noted (“Add (detailed thing) to Omnifocus”), and by the time I realize that Siri has (frequently quietly) just given up on trying, I may not have the mental state to replicate the note - at least in part due to having to futz with my phone, watch, etc. and figure out what’s going on.
And I realize that in this particular case I’m about to outline I’m talking about the beta of iOS 14, but if I deliberately shut off all Internet and I say something to Siri with the phone locked, I get the chime-y thing on my headset, and no confirmation whether or not Siri heard anything - just a Siri notification on my iPhone screen that my phone isn’t connected to the Internet. Y’know…the iPhone screen on the locked iPhone where the screen is off.
Sometime this weekend I’m going to figure out getting Drafts to fire from my watch, and only use Siri for stuff that absolutely needs to be processed in the moment.
And yes…reiterating that I realize this is the first-worldiest of first-world problems.
This is the feature I’ve always dreamed to have. I’d love to queue up a bunch of requests when I’m offline and have them run when my phone is connected again.
